Acorn Hammock Trail

Acorn Hammock Trail is a 3.4 mile lightly trafficked loop trail located near Winter Haven, Florida that offers scenic views and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options. Dogs are also able to use this trail but must be kept on leash.

dogs on leash

hiking

nature trips

walking

bird watching

running

views

Nestled on the north east edge of Lake Hancock, just across the lake from Circle B Bar Reserve lies Marshall Hampton Reserve. The Reserve has a interesting blend of oak hammock areas canopying over mesic flatwoods, hardwood forest wetlands and a 60 acre pond.
Cypress Dome Swamp
Freshwater swamps such as cypress domes contain water at least part of the year. Cypress trees lose their leaves in the winter, but bright green foliage appears again in the spring.
Pine Flatwoods
The flatwood community is dominated by pines such as longleaf and slash. Saw palmetto is abundant in the understory, along with blueberry, gallberry, fetterbush and the occasional frostweed aster.
Hammock
The hammock community contains remnant portions of wet, mesic and scrubby flatwoods. The absence of fire in these systems allows the woody trees such as oak to grow too large and the large trees start to shade out the plants growing closer to the ground.

Located in South Lakeland
From Lakeland:
From Lakeland, take SR 98 south to Winter Lake Road, travel East on Winter Lake Road to Thornhill Road. Travel south on Thornhill Road, the entrance is less than a mile on the right.

Grass parking area, access to the trailer parking for horses is allowed with a special use permit for horseback riding.

I did the Acorn Hammock Trail and the Osprey Overlook Trail as one combined hike covering about 5.5 miles. The Acorn Hammock portion is mostly shaded but there are wet spots, which you might expect during the Florida summer. Nothing impassable but I'd recommend water-proof shoes. The Osprey Overlook Loop is shorter but all open, making it very hot. It circles the small lake in the middle of the preserve. There are a couple of spots where it looks like the trail had followed a different path at one time, but they are now closed, though you can still see them on the map.
There is also a new trail that is partially open (about 5.25 miles one way as of June, 2019) called Panther Point. That trail can be accessed from the same location as Acorn Hammock and follows part of the Osprey Overlook Trail for about a mil

Wonderful hike at the start of spring! Great conditions even in a light on/off drizzle. A few notes: not crowded, lots of foliage in spring, and this is not a wheelchair friendly hike, as the paths are unpaved.

the trees on this trail are so beautiful and create a mystical atmosphere. i jiked this back the end of August when is rained a lot and there are definite areas with flooding so bring the right hiking shoes/boots! it's a beautiful hike

Acorn loop trail was nice and shaded. Osprey loop trail had no shade. Combined they are about 4.5 miles. Overall very nice trails, well maintained, not crowded and you can see alligators in the lake. I would definitely recommend this trail.

We took the Osprey trail - no osprey sightings. Path is not paved. Mostly grass/dirt. Some areas of sand or crushed shell. Not good for anyone in a wheelchair or using a walker/cane. It was nice but not a place I would go back. Quiet & peaceful. Contrary to the signage, not much wildlife or birds. Saw 2 birds & 3 ducks. We did see a few butterflies and some pretty wildflowers. Passed 4 other people all by the way. We saw one

Did this on a lark, although it would have been more fun on a horse...OK, I thought it was funny. Anyway, in Florida on a business trip and it was close by so I thought I would test my arid mountain mettle against the humidity of Florida.
I was so busy looking at the lake that I walked right by the start of the loop portion. Went on about a half mile before I realized my mistake! Went back and did the loop. It was peaceful, with a lot of butterflies, a few armadillo, and about 14.2 million mosquitoes per cubic centimeter. Bug spray is advised, but I found that turning my stroll into a jog kept them trailing. Overall, a nice sample of Central Florida forest. Trail got pretty swampy where it cuts back to the northeast to close the loop, but otherwise very well marked. The lake was the best part IMO, but avant garde types might enjoy B&W snaps in the wooded canopy. Very haunting.
All in all a nice diversion and a damn sight better than a hotel treadmill.

I find this trail extremely peaceful. There are few people and you won't see much wildlife but it's a calm quiet walk in the woods. The landscape is fairly uniform but toward the back of the trail there are some beautiful older trees that have a lot of what I consider"personality" its an easy walk but as with any bring water.

Great trail! Provides lots of shade and diverse views. If you read the reviews, you will find someone who reviewed the trail a few years prior and was concerned about the swamp like conditions. I would agree, the trail would be treacherous after intense rain, something common during the summer months. Rain storms would flood the trail, which is a mix of sand and dirt. You would sink! You need to watch your footing on a dry day. In my view, it is much better then the start of panther point, which doesn't get scenic till 4 miles into the run. Go for it, on a dry day!

Nice hike. I agree with other reviewer to stay on the high Trail and avoid the mud. The trails come back together , and you can avoid the mud. Lots of birds on the Osprey Trail. Saw an armadillo on the acorn Trail.

Hiked Acorn in late November. Less than .01" of rain this month so the trail was clean and dry.
Still, if you run the "low road" at the split between Acorn and Osprey, you will find ankle deep mud there. If you take the "high road" you can bypass the only mud and transition later to Acorn from Osprey when the trails separate from running parallel.
Beautiful hike, right time of year to do it. Dry and very limited bugs under high sun. Acorn provided good shade from full sun also.

I really enjoyed the view and the walk was nice. I saw a lot of wildlife including ducks birds and a few gators. When you start the trail it takes you through a crazy part of the forest with twisted trees. Took a lot of photos. I recommend it to anyone